1. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates to improvements in methods and apparatus for warming and cleaning of medical scopes (laparoscopes, endoscopes, arthroscopes, and other medical scopes) and of a variety of medical items used in medical procedures. More specifically, this disclosure relates to an apparatus for the warming and cleaning of medical scopes and other medical items used in conjunction with a liquid warming device with a removable basin.
2. Background of the Problem Addressed
Devices for heating various scopes inserted into the body for a variety of medical uses and procedures are known in the art. Visual clarity is a cornerstone of safe surgery; however, lens fogging occurs when cool scopes are inserted into warm, moist intracorporeal cavities. This fogging obscures safe visualization and delays procedures until visual clarity is established. Establishing visual clarity typically requires several costly minutes as a medical scope equilibrates from the typical temperature in a surgical suite of 68 degrees Fahrenheit with the warm, moist environment within the body. It is acknowledged that lens fogging reduces patient safety and increases procedure time and cost. Improvements to the surgical process that decrease the amount of time for the surgery and thus decrease the amount of time that a patient is under anesthesia (either local or general anesthesia). Decreasing the amount of time that a patient is subject to anesthesia while achieving the same surgical goal is considered advantageous.
The prior art includes various warming devices to warm the distal and/or proximal lens of medical scopes. In this context, proximal is relative to the user of the scope with distal being away from the end user and possibly within the patient. For a medical scope, proximal would be the eyepiece and distal would be the working end of the scope that is placed within a patient. Scope lens fogging remains a nagging problem occurring in almost all procedures.
As noted in U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,479, antifogging liquids that are wiped on the lens are common, but are criticized for possibly scratching the optic and for only briefly addressing the problem. Heating the medical scope to more closely match the temperature of the body was common but largely abandoned when debris became baked onto the laparoscope. A variation of this latter method is achieved by rinsing the laparoscope after a cold sterilization process with warm sterile water and taking the warmed laparoscope quickly to the surgical field.
For treating a fogged laparoscope in the field, a commercially available product known as the Applied Scope Warmer manufactured by Applied Medical Resources, is a double-walled thermos filled with warm water having padding inside to cushion the lens. A disposable seal is placed over the top of the device to provide insulation while permitting insertion of a single laparoscope. It is reported that the warm water heats one laparoscope sufficiently to clear fogging and has the additional feature of rinsing off debris. This prior art attempt to address the problem provides only limited relief as the Applied Medical Resources device maintains warm fluid for a limited time and warms only one laparoscope.
It is typical in many procedures for up to several different medical scopes to be used and it is not uncommon to use many different medical scopes. Thus frequently more than one and possibly several different medical scopes need to be kept warm and free of debris during any particular part of the surgical procedure.
Various objects, advantages and novel features of the disclosure will be set forth in part either explicitly or implicitly in the description that follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of one or more teachings of the present disclosure. The objects and advantages may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the claims that ultimately issue based on this disclosure.